Why being kind in business is not a weakness

Many people throughout my life have told me i’m too kind for the rough world of business and sales in which i work.

This un-solicited advice is so frequently given to me i wanted to write an article to explain.

You see being kind in business IS NOT a weakness. And i am not alone in this thinking. Shark Tank Billionaire Mark Cuban is quoted as saying “One of the most underrated skills in business right now is being nice. Nice sells,”.

First of all, we need to recognize what kindness isn't. Kindness does not mean being a push over, kindness does not mean making bad business decisions. And finally Kindness cannot be forced, it has to be genuine.

Kindness is also FREE, it doesn't cost a penny. Now that alone wont make a business case for you to adopt a ‘kindness approach’ so here are the 3 key areas kindness will make a difference.

• When building relationships with your customers, buyers or clients, building trust and being empathetic means trying to see things from the other sides perspective, it means being sincere, and it is a two-way-relationship. It’s about giving and taking, if one of you are constantly taking, the business between you two will die. Value this balance! And lastly, meet in person or pick up the phone, don’t email, use emails only to re-establish the points of the meeting or phone-call. The result- long term business relationships that will result in long term growth.
• When managing your team within your business, understand who they are, Myers Briggs and the Whole brain model are great tools to start with. Ask yourself is this person analytical and straight talking or are they more creative and intuitive. Work with those skill-sets NOT against them, be understanding that not everyone works in the same way and be firm whilst showing compassion. Try and avoid emails and speak face to face. Get to know them. What are their challenges, what’s holding them back from doing a better job? Most people don’t know, as a manager it’s up to you to equip yourself with the tools to help them develop in their role. The result- long term your team feel trusted and valued and WANT to do a good job, rather than have to. Choice is powerful.
• When managing ‘upwards’ within your organisation. Whether it’s your own manager or C-suite levels, the best leaders recognize that brashness is short-lived, showing a human side to yourself by opening up about something that interests you and taking an interest in them can add a human element into often very stale senior level conversations. This helps to build empathy and positive associations, that help you to build long-term relationships that can weather difficult times and difficult conversations which happen in almost every business. And a tip for everyone out there- the more senior you become the less you are thanked, a Thank you if they have done something that has helped you goes a long way.

There is a huge amount of research supporting kindness, Emma Sepp?l? (PhD, Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education) has found that when leaders are seen by their team members as more compassionate and kind, employees feel safe and trust levels are elevated. This means that they are more inclined to share challenges they are having, as well as feeling happier at work (which has been proven in many studies as making people more productive!).

A personal example of where kindness can lead to, if you haven't seen my Instagram post of a joined up marketing event i did with a current business i worked for and my previous company, it’s here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv-QmVJlsLO/

This pairing up came as a result of the kindness of the marketing team in my previous company, we had a lot of challenges between our departments, but the team had always been incredible in their support for me and we worked together to deliver some amazing content to my accounts at the time. I stayed in touch after i left, and during a catch-up conversation one year later, i learned about a special engagement event they were putting on for their best customers and i realized i could support them with it. It was nothing short of spectacular, benefiting both businesses through a strong marketing message and creating a positive customer experience that flooded social media. It’s an example of how kindness matters long after you’ve moved on from a company. Because it's kindness that opens the doors to future opportunities.

Kindness isn't a weakness, it's one of the most powerful traits you can have in today's business world, enabling you to build relationships with anyone, and also build relationships that last a life-time.